The use of touch-sensitive surfaces as input devices for computers and other electronic computing devices has increased significantly in recent years. Exemplary touch-sensitive surfaces include touchpads and touchscreen displays. Such surfaces are widely used to manipulate user interface objects displayed on computers or other electronic computing devices, or to otherwise control various functions of such devices.
In some instances, a text-to-speech service can be used to cause text to be spoken aloud, such as causing text displayed on a touchscreen to be rendered as speech and emitted from a speaker of the device. This can be used for convenience as well as to aid in accessibility (e.g., for visually impaired users). In some examples, however, it can be inconvenient and difficult to select the appropriate content to be spoken. In other examples, it can be inefficient and time-consuming to precisely identify the desired content to be rendered as speech. This can cause the process to take longer than necessary, thereby wasting energy, which can be a particularly important consideration in mobile devices that may be battery-operated. Moreover, during the actual speaking, it can be difficult and time-consuming to adjust speech settings, and the speaking can limit other functionality of the device while it continues, both of which can negatively impact the user experience.
Accordingly, initiating and controlling the speaking of content on touch-sensitive devices can suffer from a variety of inefficiencies and setbacks that can limit device utility and negatively impact the user experience.